AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like "The Secret of Mamo", this film was originally dubbed by Streamline and then was re-dubbed by another company (this time, it's Manga Entertainment). However, unlike the "Mamo" film, I haven't seen the original Streamline dub so this review is completely focused on the Manga dub and will not be compared to the Streamline dub in any way.
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In the world of anime, perhaps there is no director more recognized than Hayao Miyazaki. Although he was largely unknown in America outside of animation circles until Miramax dubbed and released his film "Princess Mononoke" in 1999, his films have enjoyed huge box-office and critical success in Japan and East Asia for many years. He is also the head of Studio Ghibli, the popular animation studio that was formed after the release of his second film, "Nausica� of the Valley of Wind", in 1984 (the first Ghibli film was Miyazaki's third film, 1986's "Castle in the Sky"). In his career, Miyazaki has directed nine films and written the screen play for one. While he's moderately recognized for films like "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) and "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), he is most well known for the previously mentioned "Princess Mononoke" (1997) and "Spirited Away" (2001), the latter being the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan. People will argue for days about which film was his greatest, but it's weird when you realize that his first film, which one of his most popular films in Japan, isn't known on such a wide scale as Mononoke, Spirited Away, or even Totoro, by American crowds. That would be "The Castle of Cagliostro", a film based on the legendary anime/manga character, Lupin the 3rd,

Before I get started, here’s a little background info on the Lupin series. Lupin the 3rd is an anime and manga series originally created by manga artist Kazuhiko Katō under the pen name Monkey Punch in 1967. It began as a parody of a series of novels by Maurice Leblanc featuring a French gentleman thief named Arsene Lupin. The series follows the third generation thief who, unlike his grandfather, is far from a gentleman. In Monkey Punch's original manga series, Lupin is a lunatic with an extreme lust for women that can never be satisfied and yet, he somehow remains a likeable character. The manga has since spawned three television series (each characterized by the color of the jacket he wears), three OVAs (stands for Original Video Animation; straight-to-video releases), five full length feature movies, and sixteen television specials (or made-for-TV movies, whichever you wanna call ‘em) which continue yearly to this day. It has also been rumored that an American-made live action film is in production and that Gerald R. Molen, producer of the movie “Schindler's List”, has acquired the rights. It is also the inspiration for other anime and manga series, perhaps most notably “Cowboy Bebop”.

There are five main characters in the entire Lupin series. First there is of course Arsene Lupin III, the grandson of Arsene Lupin. He is the world's most skillful and most wanted thief and his biggest fault is his love of women. Sometimes he just steals whatever he wants, at other times he steals from disrespectable people; he and his gang often take it upon themselves to foil other criminals engaged in more serious crimes. Daisuke Jigen is Lupin's right hand man and accomplished gunslinger with spectacular accuracy; he can perform a 0.3-second quick-draw. He wears a hat to conceal his eyes, giving him a more enigmatic appearance, and is a chain smoker. Goemon Ishikawa XIII is the thirteenth generation of a real-life renegade samurai named Ishikawa Goemon. He has a sword called Zantetsuken which can cut through anything, but is usually used to cut inanimate objects that Goemon often consider ‘unworthy’ of being cut by his blade. Fujiko Mine is Lupin's on again off again love interest and rival thief. She isn’t technically part of Lupin's gang, but she often participates in Lupin's exploits; most of the time, she works to serve her own interests, which often conflict with Lupin's. Finally, there is Lupin’s arch nemesis Inspector Kōichi Zenigata, who’s made it his life’s mission to arrest Lupin. In most of the Lupin features, he comes off as a pathetic cop with an unhealthy obsession with Lupin. Despite his lack of success in capturing Lupin, he is a highly skilled and intelligent police detective whom other criminals underestimate at their peril. Lupin often refers to Zenigata "Old Man" or "Pops" and is named after a figure of Japanese legend, Zenigata Heiji.

As for the film itself, Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (Japanese title Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro) was originally released in theaters by Tokyo Movie Shinsha in 1979. Even though this is the first theatrical film directed by Miyazaki, he wasn't involved with it when the project started. Initially, the sole main crew was Yasuo Otsuka (animation director), and a draft of script was provided by Seijun Suzuki and his fellow writers, who were then writing scripts for the first Lupin TV series. But Otsuka didn't like the draft and asked Miyazaki (who had directed a few episodes of the first series) to direct the film. Miyazaki agreed and provided a completely different plot, which became "Cagliostro". This film would also be Miyazaki's last "official" Lupin project. He went on to direct two episodes of the second Lupin TV series ("Shin Rupan Sansei") in 1980 under the alias "Tereki Tsutomu" before leaving Lupin, and TV anime, for good; he would also state this in an American interview (staged for the domestic theatrical debut of "Spirited Away"), saying "Lupin, I leave to everyone else". In 1991, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer created a subtitled version for American theatres and the next year, Streamline Pictures would release an English dubbed version on VHS; this would be one of the only two Lupin films dubbed by Streamline (the other being "Lupin the 3rd: The Movie", under the title of "The Mystery of Mamo"). However, due to copyright restrictions during that time, Lupin was renamed "Wolf" for that particular dub. When Streamline closed down, Manga Entertainment acquired the rights, re-dubbed the movie, and released it on DVD and VHS in 2000. There are plans to release a Special Edition version of "Cagliostro" in late 2006, but as of right now, it has been placed on hold indefinitely.

(4/4/07 EDIT: The "Special Edition " version of Cagliostro was eventually released in September of 2006. It was presented in in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The audio options included English Surround 5.1, English 2.0 Surround, Japanese Mono, French Mono, and Spanish Mono, with english subtitles for the other language tracks. It is definitley 'Special' but the major gripe about the special edition was the changing of the opening credits: instead of than the excellent animated sequence, we're treated to freeze frames with english text placed directly on the print for the credits. According to Manga, this is what the licensor, TMS, wanted. It really sucks that the original opening was not offered as an option, but aside from that, the 'Special Edition' is great.)

The movie starts out with Lupin the 3rd and his partner Jigen successfully robbing the national casino of Monaco, only to discover that their entire haul is counterfeit. As it turns out, the high quality bills are the legendary 'goat bills' - perfect counterfeits that have been used to rock the economies of nations for centuries on end. When Lupin was just getting started as a professional thief, he almost was killed while searching for the source of the goat bills. He decides that it is time to take another chance, and the two head off to the Duchy of Cagliostro, a tiny country that appears to be the source of the bogus cash. Soon after arriving, they come upon a beautiful young woman in a wedding gown being chased by some men in a car. Not one to ignore a situation like this, Lupin gets himself involved. After dispatching of her pursuers, Lupin and the girl are knocked unconscious after tumbling down a cliff. When he comes to, he realizes that the girl is gone and all she left was her ring. Later that day, they learn that the girl is Clarisse, the daughter of the late Grand Duke, and that she is being forced to marry Count Cagliostro, the regent who took control after her father's death. As it turns out, The Count wants to recover the ancient treasure of the Cagliostro family, and in order to find it, he needs the princess's ring ... which is currently in Lupin's possession. Now along with discovering the secret behind the goat bills, Lupin has taken it upon himself to save Clarisse from the lecherous Count, and he's not alone. He's getting help from Fujiko, who has become the Castle's house maid to find the treasure for herself, and Goemon, who he calls as reinforcement for the final battle. He even finds himself aligned with his rival Inspector Zenigata at one point, using him to, as Goemon puts it, "fight poison with poison".

What makes "Cagliostro" so interesting is the fact that peoples opinions on it differ so much. Many fans call it best feature in the entire Lupin catalogue, while there are some who say it's not just the best Lupin movie, but the greatest anime movie period. In fact, there's a longstanding rumor that Steven Spielberg called it one of the greatest adventure films ever made, but that has never been officially confirmed (not to my knowledge at least). But even so, there are some fans of the original Lupin manga that detest this film; instead of being the cynical, lecherous playboy that he's known for, Lupin comes across as a charming good-natured rouge, and many believe that is just out of character for him. It's different from the normal Lupin adventures, and in my opinion, that's what makes it so good. Yes, Lupin's persona might be different from his originally conceived persona in the manga, but this it's still an enjoyable film, as Miyazaki weaves together an excellent story with beautiful animation.

When you get to the core, "Cagliostro" is a caper film, somewhat reminiscent of the original Pink Panther movies. It combines thrilling action sequences, slapstick comedy, romance, and a sense of mystery to make a total package that very few films can compare to, whether they be animated or live-action. It's pretty rare to see a caper movie like this nowadays, and that's because the difficult factor is keeping the action and comedy levelly balanced, not letting one side outweigh the other. Thankfully, "Cagliostro" does just that: keep the action and comedy balanced. The action scenes are nothing short of exciting, they go at a breakneck pace and keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. There are two scenes in particular that everyone seems to talk about: first would be the car chase at the beginning of the film, where Lupin and Jigen follow the Count's men, who are chasing Clarisse. This scene is described by many as 'the greatest car chase ever made'. I'd definitely say that it has the most unique ending to a car chase I've ever seen (you'll have to watch to find out what that is though). The other talked-about scene is at the end of the film: it's the climatic face off between Lupin and the Count in the clock tower. It's a great sequence which turned out to be a major influence in the animated Disney film "The Great Mouse Detective"; the clock tower fight between Basil and Ratigan mirrors the Lupin scene very closely, which shows just how much of an impact this film has made.

For being a film from the late 70's, the animation quality didn't really look too bad. I will say the limited production time of 6 or 7 months hurt it quite a bit. But even so, this film has aged much better than some of the other anime films from that time frame. Being that he worked on the first TV series, the character designs of Lupin and his gang are already established by Miyazaki so they don’t necessarily look any different. The ambiance of the original series is also retained, giving the film a familiar feeling. Some of the characters who weren't already established, such as Clarisse, resemble Miyazaki's more conventional character stylings, particularly the face and the head. This would later become his trademark, seen in his later films (in fact, Clarisse is almost a dead-ringer for San in "Princess Mononoke"). Even so, all of the characters are neatly drawn, and they move with utter fluidity. The backgrounds are nothing less than stellar. They're rendered with great detail, from the rural European setting of Cagliostro to the stone walls of the castle's dungeon. These visuals are warm, vibrant, and clearly Lupin the 3rd at its best.

As it should be expected, the Japanese cast puts on one hell of a show. Of course, the late Yamada Yasuo steals the show as our favorite thief, Lupin. What separates his performance here from his other times playing Lupin is that for this film, he flipped the script and showed the serious side of Lupin; he shows us that Lupin doesn't necessarily have to be a goofball-type character ALL the time. And as it should be expected, the rest of the 'standard' cast makes their reappearance, with Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue, Eiko Masuyama, and Goro Naya playing the parts of Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata, respectively. Of course, they all play their parts very well. Taro Ishida, who is also known for his work in classic films like "Akira" and "Metropolis", does an exceptionally good job as Count Cagliostro. He provides the villain with a deep, menacing voice, sounding like a big guy that you simply DON'T want to mess with. The empathetic damsel in distress, Clarisse, is brought to life by Shima Shimamoto, who was a relatively new actress at the time. In my opinion, she had the best performance of the film aside from Yamada. That's all I'm gonna say about her. All in all, a great cast.

As for Manga Entertainment's English dub, there is really nothing too bad about it. The script was mostly accurate but there were some re-writes (but they were pretty minor to my knowledge). The English voice acting wasn't too bad either. David Hayter (credited here as Sean Baker) voices Lupin this time, and does a very good job. Hayter has done a few other anime VA jobs, the most popular being Tamahome from "Fushugi Yuugi". For Lupin, he is able to provide the different persona that this film gives him, though I'd say that's all he'd be good for. He would've been good for Lupin features like the film "Dead or Alive" or the TV Special "In Memory of Walther P-38" (English dub title "Island of Assassins"), but I don't think he would've portrayed Lupin well in, say, "The Secret of Mamo", which was more comedy than this film. Most of the dub voices contrast their Japanese counterparts, because they make the characters sound different than they originally sounded, but they still work. The biggest example of that would be villain Cagliostro, who is played by Kirk Thornton (credited here as Sparky Thornton). Known for playing characters such as Hajime Saitou from "Rurouni Kenshin", his voice isn't as menacing as Ishida's, but he has a 'regal' sound to it, making the Count sound as important as he should be. One more example would be Dorothy Elias-Fahn (credited here as Dorothy Melendrez) takes on the voice of Fujiko, and makes her sound more confident and able to take charge.

Though most of the dub voices sounded different than their Japanese counterparts, there were two that sounded very much like the original Japanese VAs. First off is Dougary Grant, who voiced Zenigata. His voice had the same roughness that Naya's had, and made him sound like he meant business. The second one just happens to be one of my favorite female English dub VAs, Bridget Hoffman (credited here as Ruby Marlow), who voiced Clarisse. For one, Hoffman is known for playing the timid, shy characters, or damsel-in-distress-type characters, such as Shinobu from "Love Hina", Miaka from "Fushugi Yuugi", Mizuho from "Please Teacher", and (to a lesser extent) Mima from "Perfect Blue", so this is a part that she was perfect to play. And what makes her even more perfect is that she sounds almost EXACTLY like the Shimamoto. At times, it was hard to tell the difference between the two, so she was a dead ringer for Clarisse. Overall, Manga's dub was great, definitely on par with the original Japanese version. However, people with young children should be aware a large amount of foul language was included in the English dub, probably around a PG-13 level. That kind of thing doesn't bother me, but it will bother some parents out there.

As it does in every Lupin film, the music plays a very big part. From the opening credits to the ending of the film, the score does not disappoint. It was composed mostly of a string quartet, hyping up some of the more important scenes. If there was any downside to this film at all, it is the fact that the DVD contains practically no special features other than a trailer section for Manga's other releases. I've never been the biggest fan of extras but even I think that a film as outstanding as this deserves better treatment. Thankfully, the "Cagliostro" Special Edition I spoke of earlier in the review has been noted to have more, including an interview with Lupin creator Monkey Punch, so you readers keep that in mind.

(4/4/07 EDIT: Even though an interview with Monkey Punch did not appear in the final release, the extras on the "Special Edition" were excellent. The disc itself was double sided with the film on one side and the extras on the other. The extras included the movie in storyboards, original theatrical trailers, a few sketches and film stills, and a 26-minute interview with the animation director, Yasuo Otsuka.)

What more can I say? "Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro" is a masterpiece, plain and simple. It has everything that makes an anime film great: thrilling action, humorous comedy, a sense of adventure, great animation, spectacular voice acting, and the infectious idealism that makes all of Hayao Miyazaki's films outstanding. Though it is his later films like "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away" that earned him his reputation as a legend, this film is just as great as those two in terms of quality. It's well-written, visually appealing, and wonderfully original above all else. Lupin and his gang have never been so charismatic and entertaining, and they'll probably never be as much so ever again. If you're looking for a fun lighthearted adventure, look no further than "The Castle of Cagliostro". It's an excellent watch for any fan of animation in general, and absolutely essential to anyone who calls themselves an anime fan.

FINAL RATING: 5 Stars

Lupin the 3rd: The Secret of Mamo
Lupin the 3rd: The Fuma Conspiracy
Lupin the 3rd: Dead or Alive
Lupin the 3rd: Crisis in Tokyo (coming soon)

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older